How do I make myself dream when I know for a fact I get no REM sleep?
Please do *not* tell me I am dreaming & forgetting my dreams!! I know for a fact that I rarely get any REM sleep if at all. Read on for details!!
Here’s some background on my personal experience with sleep:
1. I never wake up rested. At all. Except.. [see #4]
2. No matter how interested I am in my college class material or whatever else I’m doing, I get tired & sleepy, then I doze in & out of naps right where I sit. This happens in the morning & afternoon alike, sometimes even in the evening.
3. When I remember a dream, I wake up drenched in sweat. It can be the most calming & relaxing dream imaginable & I still wake up drenched.
4. Only when I remember a dream & wake up drenched do I feel even slightly rested. This happens maybe once a month.
5. It often takes me 30-60 min to fall asleep, unless I am dead tired already. It doesn’t matter how much or how little I think or let my mind wander, I can’t fall asleep. To be honest, 30-45 min is a blessing for me b/c even just 2 yrs ago, it took me 1-2 hrs *every* night without fail.
I know that I get practically NO REM sleep at all in 99% of my nights b/c:
1. I only feel rested perhaps once or twice a month.
2. I only remember a dream or wake up drenched in sweat once or twice a month.
3. I only feel rested when I have memory of a dream *and* wake up drenched.
.:. Therefore, by inductive reasoning, I feel it is safe to assume that the rest of the time, I either do not dream at all or experience utterly useless REM.
If I experience any REM at all, then I must not go into the deeper sleep beyond REM, where a lot of restful sleep takes place.
So my question is:
What can I do to increase my chances of dreaming restful REM & deep sleep on at least a semi-regular basis? My life is suffering due to lack of rest!!!!!
EDIT; Forgot to mention that I am seriously considering the possibility that I have a sleeping disorder (the 1st answer said something similar before I got a chance to add this. I’ll research hypersomnia, thanks). Anyone else have any other ideas on what it could be or where I could start looking?
I also want to add that the chance of it being a mental/mood disorder is pretty slim. It would have been a factor even just 1.5 yrs ago, but these days, I’m strong, pretty happy, & mentally healthy.
EDIT:
Oh & another thing. Does sleeping on your back, side, or stomach have any effect on REM? I may have heard once that it has an effect.
I find it much much harder to fall asleep on my back & a little harder on my side. So I never fall asleep laying face-up & I usually lay on my stomach rather than my side.
